Chapter 56: Chapter 56
Three weeks into my new role at Knight Industries, and I was pretty sure corporate life was designed to kill your soul slowly.
"The Hartley situation was lucky," James said during our morning meeting. "But can you replicate that success?"
I resisted the urge to throw my coffee at him.
"Lucky?" I set my cup down carefully. "I spent twelve hours researching their financial history. That’s not luck. That’s work."
Robert cleared his throat. "What James means is—"
"I know what he means." I leaned back in my chair. "He thinks I got lucky once and won’t be able to do it again. So let’s prove him wrong."
Christian’s hand found mine under the table, squeezing once.
We’d gotten better at presenting a united front in these meetings. Christian would defer to me on strategic decisions, and I’d support his operational calls.
It was working. Mostly.
"There’s a potential deal with Morrison Tech," Robert said, sliding folders across the table. "They want to partner on a security software development project."
I opened the folder and immediately felt uneasy.
Something about the numbers didn’t add up. The projections were too optimistic. The timeline is too aggressive.
"Can I take this back to review?" I asked.
James sighed. "We need to move quickly. Morrison has other potential partners—"
"Then they can wait twenty-four hours while I do my job." I stood, gathering the papers. "Unless you’d prefer another Hartley situation?"
That shut him up.
Back in my office—well, the office Christian had given me that was way too fancy for someone who still felt like an impostor in business casual—I spread the Morrison Tech documents across my desk.
Diana knocked and entered without waiting. "Heard you pissed off James again."
"It’s my special talent."
She grinned and dropped into the chair across from me. "What are we looking at?"
"Morrison Tech wants to partner on security software." I pointed at the financial projections. "But these numbers are fantasy. No way they can deliver this in eighteen months."
"You think they’re scamming us?"
"I think they’re desperate and making promises they can’t keep." I pulled up Morrison’s public filings on my laptop. "Which is almost worse than a scam because they probably believe their bullshit."
Diana leaned forward, studying the screen. "Their last three product launches were delayed by at least a year."
"Exactly." I highlighted several sections. "They have a pattern of over-promising and under-delivering. If we partner with them, we’ll sink millions into development and get nothing."
"Christian needs to see this."
I hesitated. "He’s been letting me make the strategic calls."
"So make the call. Tell him we’re passing on Morrison."
It should’ve been that simple.
But I could already hear the board’s objections. *Morrison Tech is a respected company. You’re being overly cautious. You can’t pass on every opportunity.*
"I need more evidence," I decided. "Something concrete that shows they can’t deliver."
Diana stood. "I’ll dig into their development team. See if I can find anything about their actual capabilities versus their marketing."
After she left, I spent hours researching. Morrison’s CEO had a history of overhyping products. Their CTO had left six months ago—a red flag. Their development team was half the size needed for their projected timeline.
But the most damning evidence came from former employees. I found a Reddit thread where ex-Morrison developers talked about the company’s "culture of unrealistic promises and impossible deadlines."
Bingo.
I compiled everything into a presentation and scheduled an emergency board meeting.
"This is getting ridiculous," James said when I presented my findings. "First Hartley, now Morrison. At this rate, we’ll never close any deals."
"I’d rather close no deals than close bad ones," I shot back.
"Sophie has valid concerns," Robert said, studying my presentation. "Morrison’s track record is concerning."
"Every company has delays," James argued. "That doesn’t mean—"
"It means they consistently over-promise and under-deliver." I pulled up the Reddit thread on the screen. "Their own former employees say the company makes impossible promises."
Christian leaned forward. "What’s your recommendation?"
"Pass on Morrison. Find a partner with a proven track record of delivering on time."
James threw up his hands. "And who exactly do you propose?"
"Give me a week. I’ll find alternatives."
The board voted. Narrowly, they sided with me.
James looked like he’d swallowed glass.
After the meeting, Christian caught my arm. "You’re making enemies."
"James was already an enemy."
"Sophie." His voice was serious. "I support your decisions. But you need to bring people along, not just overrule them."
I pulled my arm free. "So what, I’m supposed to let them make bad decisions to protect their egos?"
"I’m saying there’s a way to be right without making people hate you."
"That’s rich coming from an Alpha who literally uses supernatural dominance to get his way."
Christian’s jaw tightened. "That’s not fair."
